Natasha Lomas
Writer
The Latest from Natasha Lomas
Where is the EU going on tech and competition policy?
Huge technology policy questions are looming for whoever takes the top jobs at the European Union in the coming months. Decisions that could radically reshape tech business models, reconfigure the com
Privacy policies are still too horrible to read in full
A year on from Europe’s flagship update to the pan-EU data protection framework the Commission has warned that too many privacy policies are still too hard to read and has urged tech companies t
Zava bags $32M to expand its AI-free telehealth service in Europe
More money is being injected into the telehealth space in Europe. Zava, a long-time player that bills its online service as offering a “discreet and convenient” alternative to an in-person
LaLiga fined $280K for soccer app’s privacy-violating spy mode
Spanish soccer’s premier league, LaLiga, has netted itself a €250,000 (~$280k) fine for privacy violations of Europe’s General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) related to its official a
Liberty’s challenge to UK state surveillance powers reveals shocking failures
A legal challenge to the UK’s controversial mass surveillance regime has revealed shocking failures by the main state intelligence agency, which has broad powers to hack computers and phones and
Europe publishes common drone rules, giving operators a year to prepare
Europe has today published common rules for the use of drones. The European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) says the regulations, which will apply universally across the region, are intended to he
UK carriers warn over ongoing Huawei 5G uncertainty: Report
UK mobile network operators have drafted a letter urging the government for greater clarity on Chinese tech giant Huawei’s involvement in domestic 5G infrastructure, according to a report by the
Revolut adds Apple Pay support in 16 markets
Fintech startup Revolut has expanded its support for Apple Pay, confirming that from today the payment option is available for users in 16 European markets. The list of supported markets is: UK, Fran
Have I Been Pwned is looking for a new owner
Troy Hunt has revealed he’s looking for an acquirer for the breach notification service he set up more than five years ago — aka: Have I Been Pwned. In a blog post discussing the future of
Twitter’s updated T&Cs look clearer — yet it still can’t say no to Nazis
Twitter has taken a pair of shears to its user rules, shaving almost 2,000 words off of its T&Cs — with the stated aim of making it clearer for users what is not acceptable behaviour on its
Google appeals $1.7BN EU AdSense antitrust fine
Like clockwork, Google has filed a legal appeal against the €1.49 billion ($1.7BN) antitrust penalty the European Commission slapped on its search ad brokering business three months ago. The Telegra
Facebook fails to stop Europe’s top court weighing in on EU-US data transfers
Facebook has failed in its last ditch attempt to block a referral by Ireland’s High Court of questions over the legality of EU-US data transfer mechanisms to the region’s top court. Irelan
Facebook can be told to cast a wider net to find illegal content, says EU court advisor
How much of an obligation should social media platforms be under to hunt down illegal content? An influential advisor to Europe’s top court has taken the view that social media platforms like Fa
Aptoide, a Play Store rival, cries antitrust foul over Google hiding its app
As US regulators gear up to launch another antitrust probe of Google’s business, an alternative Android app store is dialling up its long time complaint of anti-competitive behavior against the
Twitter bags deep learning talent behind London startup, Fabula AI
Twitter has just announced it has picked up London-based Fabula AI. The deep learning startup has been developing technology to try to identify online disinformation by looking at patterns in how fake
US/China trade uncertainty adds to global smartphone growth woes
Analyst Canalys has updated its forecast of global smartphone shipments — saying it expects just 1.35 billion units to ship in 2019, a year-on-year decline of 3.1%. This follows ongoing uncertai
Amazon sellers to hit UK high streets in year-long pop-up pilot
Internet shopping has been blamed for boarding up high streets across the UK. So it looks politically judicious for Amazon, the original ecommerce behemoth, to now be attaching its brand name to a pil
Targeted ads offer little extra value for online publishers, study suggests
How much value do online publishers derive from behaviorally targeted advertising that uses privacy-hostile tracking technologies to determine which advert to show a website user? A new piece of resea
UK Internet attitudes study finds public support for social media regulation
UK telecoms regulator Ofcom has published a new joint report and stat-fest on Internet attitudes and usage with the national data protection watchdog, the ICO — a quantitative study to be publis
Apple, Google, Microsoft, WhatsApp sign open letter condemning GCHQ proposal to listen in on encrypted chats
An international coalition of civic society organizations, security and policy experts and tech companies — including Apple, Google, Microsoft and WhatsApp — has penned a critical slap-dow